FLUG REVUE June 2004: USAF bomber force will stay on for decades

THE USAF BOMBER FORCE

By Karl Schwarz

According to the Pentagon's Defense Science Board, over the next few decades the United States will continue to face attacks from terrorists, “rogue states” and future major powers in possession of weapons of mass destruction. “Strategic attack forces” will therefore continue to be required. However, they will need to be more flexible so as to be able to adapt to the uncertain threat situations of the future. The aim, according to a study published by the Defense Science Board at the beginning of April, should therefore be a mixture of nuclear and conventional weapons.

One of the most important recommendations put forward is that the time lag between target acquisition and the unleashing of an attack should be reduced. There must be a capability to attack between 300 and 400 strategic targets within 15 minutes This will require amongst other things medium-range missiles with a range of 2,400km, a 900kg conventional payload and accuracy to within 5 metres that can be deployed from submarines and ships.

When it comes to air-launched systems, the Science Board is a lot less specific. The ideas currently under consideration for a “prompt strike capability” include the following:

* A large, unmanned aircraft with stealth characteristics and extended loiter time in the target area. Precision weapons should then be fired from this platform. At the same time, the air vehicle will be equipped for battlefield surveillance. Both versions for the Air Force and also a smaller variant adapted to deployment on aircraft carriers are possible.

* An “Arsenal Airplane”, that is, a large aircraft which operates at a safe distance from the enemy and deploys high-speed guided missiles.

* Supersonic or hypersonic guided missiles or unmanned air vehicles. Unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) could be launched with the aid of modified intercontinental missiles. These would then glide around 4,800km to the target area before their engines are ignited and the attack mission commenced.

“None of the alternatives is obviously superior,” concludes the Defense Science Board's working group. For this reason the US Air Force should initiate an analysis of possible alternatives, followed by more detailed definition of the four most promising concepts. There is no hurry on this matter, since, according to the Defense Science Board, existing bombers, if appropriately maintained and modernised, will retain their capacity to counter any belligerent powers until 2040.

In recent years the USAF's bomber trio has not made headlines in the original strategic role, however. Rather, they tended to assume the role of a tactical force. As relics of the Cold War, inevitably they became versatile tools for the wars in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. It was the introduction of precision weapons and, in the case of the B-2A, its stealth capabilities that were responsible for the comeback of the big bombers.

“Transformation does not necessarily mean throwing away what one has, but using it in a new way. We will continue to try to develop new capabilities for our existing systems,” explains Dr James G. Roche, Secretary of the Air Force in the Pentagon. In this way, the Boeing B-52H has been transformed into a weapons platform for close air support. “In Afghanistan, scouts on the ground passed the enemy's co-ordinates to the B-52's circling at 11,900 metres overhead, which then released their laser-guided bombs to impact only 330 metres away from friendly lines,” explains General John P. Jumper, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force.

In the Iraq war in 2003, the operational concept was further refined, so that bombers circling above the battlefield were often able to attack targets within a quarter of an hour of their being assigned. Moreover, usually this was done with great accuracy: on one occasion in Baghdad, there was a requirement to “only destroy the fourth to seventh storeys of a high-rise building, as above them was a restaurant and below a children's day-care centre,” recalls one B-2 pilot.

Although only eleven Boeing B-1B's, four Northrop Grumman B-2A's and 28 B-52H's were involved in “Iraqi Freedom”, apparently they were responsible for attacks on around one-third of all the targets, in just under 500 missions. Especially during the sandstorms at the beginning of hostilities, B-1's and B-52's flew heavy attacks against Saddam Hussein's Medina Division.

To continue the success story, the US Air Force is planning further enhancements for its three musketeers. As the airframes are basically sound, the work is concentrated on improvements in the communications and avionics systems and on clearance to carry new weapons.

The B-1B Lancer update programme has advanced the furthest. Only in 2001 this aircraft was derided as expensive and useless. Investment in spare parts and maintenance has increased its operational readiness rate from 60 to 71 percent. On top of this, funding was found for the Conventional Mission Upgrade Program (CMUP), which included the installation of new, secure radio sets (ARC-210, KY-100), GPS receivers and the ALE-50 towed decoy. Other modifications included an improved interface for the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the capability to carry up to 30 cluster bomb canisters (CBU-87/89/97).

The Block E upgrade, part of the CMUP, entails installing new computer equipment which is essential for the deployment of other weapons such as the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (CBU-103/104/105), the Joint Standoff Weapon (AGM-154) and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM, AGM-158). The Lancers will be in a position to carry a mix of weapons, for example, ten CBU-103's in the forward bomb bay, eight GBU-31 JDAMs on the centre rotary carrier and eight AGM-158's in the rear.

Another development is an upgrade of the cockpit to incorporate 12.6cm x 17.7cm colour LCD displays from Rockwell Collins. Also regarded as desirable for the future are modifications to the ALQ-164 radar to improve reliability and add the capability to produce extremely high-resolution maps, along with automatic target detection. Link 16 will ensure better integration into network centric warfare.

To enhance the performance of the Lancers at the higher operating altitudes which are customary today, a new engine would be necessary. According to Boeing, the F119 on the F/A-22 Raptor is suited for this purpose.

On the Northrop Grumman B-2, considerable resources have recently been invested into simplifying maintenance of the radar absorbent outer skin. Up to now it has been necessary to cover access panels with a special film, which takes up to three days to harden. With a new spray that is applied by robots, this should now be achieved in a matter of hours. Cracks in the rear area that were evidently caused by extreme noise exposure are to be repaired. The B-2's communications also need attention, and there are therefore plans to use the Link 16 radio system by 2006. A new display is to be installed to show the data.

As far as armaments are concerned, from 2005 the Spirit will be able to deploy the JASSM. In parallel to this is clearance for the release of up to eighty 225kg JDAMs in a single run. Tests last summer were successful. Another novelty is the EGBU-28, a 2,270kg bomb used to attack bunkers.

The Raytheon radar is now to be fitted with active transmit/receive modules, replacing the antenna with passive electronic beam steering. The frequency range of the AESA radar is also to be changed to avoid interference with civil equipment. In the short-term, another important development would be to install navigation systems permitting the aircraft to fly in reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) airspace. During the Iraq war, the B-2's had to cross the Atlantic at sub-optimal altitudes of less than 8,500m. In the long-term, new computers and new data buses are needed, as the present systems, which date back to the 1980s, are coming up against their limits.

On the B-52, the oldest of the trio, an avionics midlife improvement (AMI) programme is currently under way. This covers new, more accurate inertial navigation platforms with laser gyros, new computers that will replace Commodore 64 technology with Pentium III, and new data cassettes with flash memory that are being taken over from the F/A-22.

For the avionics trials, one of the B-52H's stationed at Edwards Air Force Base last November flew an 18-hour mission to the magnetic North Pole, and then flew a 50km circle around it. Assuming that there are no technical hitches, retrofitting of the B-52 could commence at the end of 2005. The next item on the agenda would then be a radio systems upgrade (Link 16 or Joint Tactical Radio System), combined with new cockpit displays.

Tests with Litening laser targeting points on the B-52 have already been successfully carried out, and a relatively large purchase would be desirable as far as the military are concerned. The USAF is also currently exploring the possibility of deploying the “Buff” as an electronic countermeasures (ECM) platform. This would require the installation of new systems. The majority of the jamming transmitters would be accommodated in pods carried under the outer wing surface.

Finally, Boeing has also proposed that the thirsty, maintenance-intensive TF-33 engines from Pratt & Whitney should be replaced. The various alternatives, eight CFM56's, Rolls-Royce BR715's or Pratt & Whitney PW6000's, are the subject of a separate study. Another option would be to install four PW2040 or RB211-535 engines, both of which have been around since the 1990s. The operational savings (lower fuel consumption, less maintenance) would outweigh the cost, according to Boeing. However, this view is contested. Another problem is that the USAF does not currently have any money to spend on big investments, and in the light of the 767 tanker affair, a leasing solution is also unlikely.

From page 38 of FLUG REVUE 6/2004

Last updated 7 May 2004

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